Tally card



W. C. CLARK July 1l, 1939.

TLLY CARD Filed Oct. 5, 1958 gwen/fb@ Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TALLY CARD William C. Clark, Syracuse, N.v Y.

Application October 3,

i 2 Claims.

This invention relates to tally cards and the like, and more particularly, to an article of manufacture which serves in a greatly improved manner to facilitate the commencement of play 5 of competitive games. More especially, my invention has to do with tally cards for progressive games, such as bridge, Whist, euchre, and the like, in which the participants are paired as partners and the competing pairs change from table to table or station to station during the course of the game, it being the custom to record the scores of the participants at these different stages.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a means for simplifying the preparation for games of-the character above referred to and thus reduce the work required on the part of the host or hostess in planning the pairing of the guests as partners, while at the same time lending to the start of the game an element of interest and fun which is ordinarily lacking in the usual manner of starting such games. In other words, my invention promotes sociability at the outset of the game in that the participants are informally made acquainted with each other and more readily enter into the game with a spirit of fun and keen interest.

More specifically, my invention primarily comprises a card which is normally integral, but divided into a plurality of separable sections having complementary irregular interengaging edges and each section provided with a score-surface. The sections of the card may or may not be further provided With suitable indicia forming a counterpart of the indicia of the other sections, for a purpose which will hereinafter be more fully understood as the description of the invention proceeds.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a tally card composed of normally integral separable sections having their contiguous edges formed complementary to each other so as to provide protuberant and correspondingly indented parts on the respective sections, which, in the integral form of the card, serve to resist strains or stresses on the card in the plane thereof which tend to separate the card into its component sections. While in the separated condition of the component sections, the protuberant and indented portions thereof may be availed of for matching purposes todetermine the pairing of the players and the station at which the play is to commence at the outstart of the game.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described, and

`193s, serial No. 233,107

the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tally card embodying my invention and illustrating the Adivi- 5 sion of the card into a plurality of complementary detachable sections, each section being provided with a score-surface, and one of the sections being shown detached from the other sections; and

Figure 2 is a plan View of the tally card illustrated in Figure l as seen from the reverse side thereof.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the figures of the drawing. As shown in Figure l, the tally card comprises a sheet or card, generally designated l, which may be composed of any suitable material, such as relatively heavy paper, cardboard, or'the like, the card being preferably generally rectangular in shape although it is to be understood that this is not absolutely essential. For use in the usual four-handed games, the card is divided into four sections, respectively designated 2, 3, 4 and 5, the division being preferably effected by cuts' or slits 6 extending generally diagonally inwardly from the corners of the card or from points near the corners, as clearly shown in the drawing. It will be observedthat the slits or cuts t terminate short of intersecting at the center of the card, the card being instead perforated at its'central portion along intersecting lines 6 coextensive With the cuts or slits E. Accordingly, the component sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 are normally integral, or in other Words are joined together at the center of the card, but are capable of being readily detached from each other, which detachment is preferably facilitated by means of the perforations 5. To eifect the detachment of the component sections of the card l in the form shown in the drawing, the card can be folded from corner to corner, and this will quickly and cleanly break the perforations at the center.

It is to be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited to the use of either cuts ,y 6 or perforations 6', as described above, as the Vdivisions of the card may be in whole or in part made by scoring the card or otherwise producing weakened diagonal lines in the general arrangement illustrated. 50

As seen in Figure 1, each of the component sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 is provided With a score-surface, generally designated 1, which, for convenience, may be printed in any suitable manner to facilitate recording of the scores at the different stages and so arranged that no two sections of the same card are alike. These complementary protuber-Y ant and indented portions just referred to serve two principal functions, firstly, to interlock the sections of the card together in such manner as to resist separation of the sections, as by breaking the perforations 6', when stresses or strains are applied to the card substantially in the planeY thereof while in its integral form; and secondly, to constitute a means formatching the sections of the card in a predetermined manner, as will hereinafter become more apparent.

On the reverse face of the card, opposite to the face having the score-surfaces l, the card is preferably provided with indicia, generally designated II, as best illustrated in Figure 2. This indicia may have any suitable form, such as a figure, design, picture, word or words, or one or more combinations thereof, the same being so arranged that each section of the card is provided with a counter part of the indicia of the other sections.

Each of the component sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 is preferably apertured, as at |12, to receive a cord I3 or other suitable fastening means by which the section of the card may be attached to the person or clothing of the player holding the same. The cords may be of the same color, or they may be of two different colors for each composite card I as indicated by the relatively light and dark shading in the drawing. This is particularly advantageous where the participants in the game are composed of both sexes. In lieu of different colored cords, other means of distinguishing the diierent sections of the card may be resorted to, as by printing the printed matter or portions thereof on the respective sections in different colors or styles, so that there will be at least two sections of each card of the same color or style of print, in the case of a four-handed game.

As previously mentioned, the component sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 of each card I are initially integrally joined together, and it is contemplated that the same may be sold singly or in groups of any desired number. When sold in groups, the indicia I I on the reverse side of cach card is preferably different from the otherY cards of the same group or series. Likewise, the irregular divisions which form the complementary indentations and prctuberances on the contiguous edges of the component sections of each card may or may not diler from the corresponding divisions of the other cards of the same group or series, as desired. Where these irregular divisions do not diifer in the same group or series ofk cards, matching of the component sections for the purpose of pairing the players is controlled by the indicia i l which preferably does differ.

In the use of my improved tally card hereinbefore described, the cards are first folded from corner to corner to cause the perforations t or other weakened portions of the cards to break apart, thus separating each card into a plurality of component sections. If the participants of the game or games are of mixed sexies, the sections of Yat the particular table or station where the matching of the composite card is completed. This completely eliminates the labor and inconvenience of pairing the players in advance by table number and couple number, which is one of the greatest diiculties and most distasteful tasks in the preparation of tallies, oftentimes leading to considerable confusion through inadvertent errors. Y

After a player has drawn one of the card sec-j tions, he or she retains it Vpermanently for luse in keepinga record of the score or progress of` the game after play has begun,fas by recording the score on the score-surface. The sectionsV of the tally cards may be readily identified after drawing by writing the namey of the player thereon in the space designated 8.

If the players are of the sameseX, it is unj necessary to separate the sections of thev tally cards into different groups, as previously described; or, as a novelty, the sections may be passed out by the host or hostess indiscriminately to players of both sexes,k further adding to the amusement and pleasure of the game. In any case, the commencement of the game is enlivened and the informal sociability of the players is greatly promotedV by the preliminaryI matchingV of the tally card sections to pair the players and further, organize the pairs.

My improved tally card isalsouseful as a place card at luncheons, teas, dinners, etc.,before the start Vof the game. In such a case,.the names of the guests wllbe entered in advance in the spaces 8 of the tally card sections. After the meal, pairing of the players may be effected byV matching up the tally card sections as previously described. While the specic details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto, as changes kand alterations maybe made without departing from'the spirit thereof as defined in the appendedv claims.

Having thus described my invention, what, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A new artid@ of manufacture of the class described, comprising a sheet having a plurality of score-surfaces. said sheet being divided into a plurality of separable sections having complementary irregular interengagingV continuous edges, extending from an V,edge of the sheet to,- wards its center and deviating from a straight line, with each section provided with one of the score-surfaces aforesaid, and said sections being4 normally integral but weakened at ,the central portion of the sheet for a relatively short distance inthe line of separation, and severed for the remaining distance in the line of separation, to facilitate separation of the sections, each of which sections constitutes a complete-tally card when so separated.

2. A new article of manufacture of the-class described, comprising `a sheet having a plurality of score-surfaces, saidY sheet being divided into a plurality of separable sections along irregular lines extending from the edges of the sheet towards its center and deviating from a straight line, with each section provided with one of the score-surfaces aforesaid, said sections being severed from each other for the major portion of the distance on the respective lines of separation and normally attached together in a weakened state for the remainder of each line of separation to facilitate separation of the sections, and each section constituting a complete tally card when separated. 

